1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for an electric vehicle having a storage device that is charged by an external power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric vehicles that have an electric motor alone as a drive source and hybrid type electric vehicles that have an engine and an electric motor as drive sources exist. These electric vehicles are installed with a storage device such as a lithium ion battery. Further, an electric vehicle is provided with a charging port, and when the storage device is charged, a charging cable extending from an external power supply is connected to the charging port (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H6-284512, for example). The storage device may also be charged using a method in which a charging cable of a fast charger disposed in a power supply station or the like is connected to the charging port or a method in which a charging cable extending from a household power supply is connected to the charging port.
However, when a charging cable is simply connected to the charging port, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H6-284512, the charging cable may become disconnected, which is undesirable in terms of safety and crime prevention. An operation to charge the storage device requires more time than a conventional fuel supply operation, and therefore a situation in which an operator moves away from the electric vehicle may be envisaged. Hence, demand exists for a structure with which safety can be secured during charging even when the operator moves away from the electric vehicle.